A new policy memo from an American alcohol retail industry group argues that marijuana should be regulated more like booze—including by requiring that intoxicating cannabis products be sold only by businesses licensed to sell alcohol.
“States should restrict the sale of intoxicating THC products to businesses licensed to sell beverage alcohol and that are regularly inspected for compliance with laws aimed at preventing sales to individuals under 21,” says the memo, published this month by the American Beverage Licensees (ABL) trade association.
The group contends that alcohol retailers, “with many decades of proven compliance, are best positioned to sell these products.”
[…]
The alcohol industry in recent years has been increasingly involved in lobbying on marijuana issues. That’s in part due to expanding marijuana markets that are competing with alcohol sales.
A report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) last year called cannabis a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.
The report projected that slumping sales of wine and spirits “may extend indefinitely,” which will “stem largely” from the increased consumer access to “legal cannabis” and other alternative products.
Read the full article at Marijuana Moment
